Getting started with Windsurf

Tomorrow’s editor, today.

Windsurf is a next-generation AI IDE built to keep you in the flow. On this page, you’ll find instructions on how to install Windsurf on your computer, navigate the onboarding flow, and get started with your first AI-powered project.

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Set Up

To get started, please ensure that your device meets the requirements, click the download link, and follow the instructions to install and run Windsurf.

Click here if you’re looking for how to update Windsurf.

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Onboarding

Once you have Windsurf running, you will see the page below. Let’s get started! Note that you can always restart this onboarding flow with the “Reset Onboarding” command.

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1. Select setup flow

If you’re coming from VS Code or Cursor, you can easily import your configurations. Otherwise, select “Start fresh”. You can also optionally install windsurf in PATH such that you can run windsurf from your command line.

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2. Choose editor theme

Choose your favorite color theme from these defaults! Don’t worry, you can always change this later. Note that if you imported from VS Code, your imported theme will override this.

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3. Sign up / Log in

To use Windsurf, you need to use your Windsurf account or create one if you don’t have one. Signing up is completely free!

Once you’ve authenticated correctly, you should see this page. Hit “Open Windsurf” and you’re good to go!

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Having Trouble?

If you’re having trouble with this authentication flow, you can also log in and manually provide Windsurf with an authentication code.

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4. Let’s Surf!

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Update Windsurf

To update Windsurf, you can click on the “Restart to Update ->” button in the top right corner of the menu bar.

If you are not seeing this button, you can:

1. Click on your Profile icon dropdown > Check for Updates

2. In the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) > “Check for Updates”

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Things to Try

Now that you’ve successfully opened Windsurf, let’s try out some of the features! These are all conveniently accessible from the starting page. :)

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Forgot to Import VS Code Configurations?

You can easily import your VS Code/Cursor configuration into Windsurf if you decide to do so after the onboarding process.

Open the command palette (Mac: ⌘+⇧+P, Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+P) and type in the following:

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Incompatible Extensions

There are a few extensions that are incompatible with Windsurf. These include other AI code complete extensions and proprietary extensions. You cannot install extensions through any marketplace on Windsurf.

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Custom App Icons (beta)

For paying users of Windsurf, you can choose between different Windsurf icons while it sits in your dock. Currently, this feature is only available for Mac OS, with other operating systems coming soon.

To change your app icon, simply click the profile/settings icon in the top right corner of the editor and select “Customize App Icon”.

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Windsurf Next

Windsurf Next is prerelease version of Windsurf which users can choose to opt-in to access the newest features and capabilities as early as possible, even if the features are not fully polished. Features will typically be rolled out to Windsurf Next first, and then into the stable release shortly after.

You can opt-in to Windsurf Next simply by downloading it here.

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Uninstall Windsurf

To uninstall Windsurf from your system, follow these steps:

rm -rf ~/.codeium/windsurf

rm -rf ~/.codeium/windsurf

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\.codeium\windsurf